Ten Simple Rules To Commercialize Scientific Research

Abstract

Commercializing scientific research or a breakthrough idea is really no different, in principle, from commercializing anything, except perhaps that it's more difficult in practice because of the steps required to turn basic research into something practical and because you are looking for a market for a product, rather than designing a product to fit an established, or obvious market. Commercialization is different to starting and running a company, a broader endeavour and the subject of a previous Ten Simple Rules article [1]. Even so, commercialization can be a broad endeavour. For example, at one extreme, you could hand over your monoclonal antibody to Sigma to supply it on your behalf to other researchers who might find it useful while the company pays you a small royalty; on the other, you could be involved in developing Herceptin (anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody) from its origins as a mouse-specific antibody through to its use as an effective anti-breast cancer drug, in a process that took more than decade. Here we assume the former—others are carrying out that commercialization, which has its pluses and minuses—less work for you, but typically less control of the commercialization process. Commercialization is a much studied subject, both by academics [2] and the business community [3]. All larger academic institutions generally have offices to promote and help scientists get research to market. Consequently, in this Ten Simple Rules article we won't deal with the details, but instead will concentrate on some of the key issues to consider when working with, or before and after working with, a specialized office.